It may be July, but Gaylord Palms is already planning for their annual Christmas festivities, including ICE!, which this year will feature A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles Schulz.

Watch Charlie Brown rediscover the true meaning of Christmas as the beloved classic story unfolds through interactive ice sculptures and displays. All hand-carved from 2 million pounds of actual ice by Chinese artisans.

Monday night I joined other local bloggers for a sneak peek at this year’s Christmas at Gaylord Palms, which includes the centerpiece ICE!, as well as a new show, Cirque Dreams, and I have to say this year’s celebrations are very entertaining.

We started the evening with a short performance by the singing group, The Mistletones, who will be stationed in the Alpine Village area by ICE! and the snow tubing.

Yesterday we told you about the all-new ICE! that will be coming to the Gaylord Palms Resort this holiday season, now here are the rest of the reasons this year’s Christmas at Gaylord Palms will be a must-do.

For starters, Alpine Rush Snow Tubing is returning to the resort for the holidays. Once again there will be an 18’ 8-lane giant snow hill created with 1.5 million pounds of real Florida snow to slide down. I did this last year and I think I enjoyed it as much as the kids.

ICE! is one of the best seasonal attractions in Orlando, and Gaylord Palms Resort has announced the theme for this year’s event.

After doing cartoon themes in 2012 and 2013, ICE! is going with the classic theme of The Nutcracker. The story of the ballet will be told via 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures created by artisans from Harbin, China. The ice nativity scene will also be returning, as will the ice slides, which are fun for kids of all ages.

Tickets are $29.99 for adults and $16.99 for kids 4-12 at he door, or buy in advance and save. Florida residents use promo code FLR14 to save $4 per ticket.

ICE! featuring The Nutcracker will run at the Gaylord Palms Resort from November 15, 2014, through January 4, 2015. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit christmasatgaylordpalms.com.

Join members of the Orlando Polar Bear Club on Sunday, December 8, and take a waltz through ICE! at the Gaylord Palms in nothing but your swimsuit or summer attire.

Normally a walk through the Holiday attraction requires a parka, hat, and gloves. But on this night, dress like you would on a hot summer day in Florida, and walk through the 9 degree temperatures, enjoying the story of Frosty the Snowman.

The event will take place from 7am-9:30am, and admission is $18.99 (plus tax). I will warn you, any exposed skin may feel a sting once you’re done.

Friday night we were invited to a media preview of this year’s ICE! at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee. After we checked in, we went to the atrium where a stage was set up.

Enroute, we got to have our photos taken with Puss in Boots, which was awesome. Unfortunately, when we went back later to get the photo, we found out the camera card was corrupted and our photo was lost.

Prior to viewing ICE!, were treated to a show called Luminescence, which features a live band with four singers performing classic Holiday songs.

Highlights of the show included the drummer playing a circular kit in the air, and two aerialists performing amazing routines on hoops and ribbons. Luminescence is performed every night following the Christmas tree lighting at 6:15pm, through the end of December.

One of Orlando’s best holiday attractions is ICE! at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, and it will be returning to the resort from November 23, 2013 to January 5, 2014.

The theme this year is Frosty the Snowman, and ICE! will feature more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures in a colorfully frozen retelling of this original Christmas classic.

The attraction will feature four slides made of ice for kids of all ages to play on during the walk-through, and new this year, there will be a bonus area of a live carving zone featuring Artisans in Action. That’s right, you can watch actual master ice carvers from Harbin, China, creating amazing sculptures before your eyes. There will also be a traditional Nativity scene of ice.

Save by buying your tickets in advance. Prices are $28.99 for ages 13 and up, $26.99 for seniors (55+) and $14.99 for kids (ages 4-12). There is also a VIP Guided Tour that costs $265.99 for a family of four, and features the tour, a meet-n-greet with a Chinese Artisan, all day admission to ICE!, and more.

Florida residents can save even more on advance tickets by using promo code FLR13. With the code, prices are $24.99 for adults & seniors, and $10.99 for kids. Marriott Rewards Members can save 20% off tickets for dates between November 24 and December 19 by using promo code MRICE13.

[Ed. note: We already talked about Gaylord Palms ICE!, but we thought you’d enjoy a review from our family writer Carol.]

We were blessed to be able to get a sneak peek of the Gaylord Palms Resort’s Holiday show, ICE!. I am amazed at how cold they can keep those rooms in order to maintain the sculptures.

A slide made out of ice at ICE!

As a parent of 2 small children, ages 7 and 4, I was excited to see their reactions. We love the Madagascar movies by DreamWorks and are familiar with the characters.

The first thing that you notice is the 9 degree temps, and for Florida kids, that is really cold. Once you catch your breath, the vibrant colors are just amazing! The amber of Alex’s fur in ice is actually the color of his fur! That always amazes me.

The scenes chosen to be created in ice told the story very well and in a logical order. As we wound our way through the scenes, I felt like a fly on the wall as everything is so large in scale. It was as though we were participating in the story, but not really. Kind of like it is in dreams. I thought it was cool (no pun intended).

The best part, according to my children, was the ice slide area. The 7-yr-old went down them often, and her only complaint was that they were not slippery enough yet and she had to scoot her way down, although that should change with use. They are fun and good for kids of ALL ages! I know because yes, I went down it too, as did my husband and my sister. And we have photos proving we did it.

The slides are about half way through the adventure and by about that time, my 4-yr-old was getting cold and wanted to move on. So we did, after a couple more slides.

The evening started with food and drinks in the St. Augustine Fort area of the hotel’s atrium. There were carved meats, decorate your own gingerbread cookies, and even a special drink created for the event.

Called the ICE-tini, it consisted of cinnamon-infused whiskey, apple cider, and cranberry juice, with a fresh cranberry for a garnish. I have to admit I’m not usually one for whiskey-based drinks, but this was pretty good.

The Edge Effect Singing Christmas Carols

The media then was treated to a preview of the new Luminescence stage show, featuring the vocal harmonies of The Edge Effect singing Christmas carols. The singers and musicians sounded very polished and were very talented.

The show was also enhanced visually by the addition of an aerial acrobat and a drum ring that lowered from the ceiling – as the drummer was playing. Great visuals!

The evening finished up with a tour through ICE!

Melman, Gloria, Alex, and Marty from Merry Madagascar

ICE! is over 20,000-square-feet of hand-carved ice sculptures, created by a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China. It is set in a tent kept at a chilly 9 degrees.

The majority of the floor space is an all-new tribute to the DreamWorks Animation TV Christmas special, Merry Madagascar.

Yesterday, Gaylord Palms Resort held their annual Christmas in July event to reveal the theme for this year’s Ice! attraction.

In keeping with their partnership with Dreamworks Animation, Merry Madagascar will be the theme. To help with the announcement, characters from the hit Madagascar series of films were on hand, along with a few characters from Shrek.

The event was held around the resort’s new Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park, and I wish I would’ve known they were allowing kids to try it out. Carol, our family writer, brought her two children and they really wanted to play on the slides and get drenched by the big bucket of water. Heck, if I wasn’t wearing jeans, I might of jumped in the pool. It was that hot out.

As we entered the pool area, we were greeted by several Shrek characters. Shrek, Fiona, Puss and Gingy were mingling and taking photos with the guests, which included children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and Give Kids the World.

A quartet of singers serenaded the crowd with holiday songs, while standing in the zero-entry end of the pool. There was also a snack area with drinks and sugary treats like frosted brownies, chocolate-covered ginger cake lollipops and egg nog ice cream push-ups.

Alex (the lion), Gloria (the hippo), King Julien and Mort (the lemurs) took to the stage to help make the announcement for this year’s Ice! theme. I love Mort!

After the characters left the stage, a DJ came on in a wall of fog. Then the musical guest took the stage. In keeping with the fact that this event was about Ice! it was a fun surprise to see Vanilla Ice onstage singing, “Ice, Ice, Baby!” Word to your mother.

Following the event, the characters went inside to the resort atrium, where they continued to take photos with guests. There were even Penguin sightings (from Madagascar)!

Ice! is an annual holiday attraction that features over 20,000-sq-ft of hand-carved ice sculptures and slides. This year, it is open from November 10 to January 1, 2013. At the door ticket pricing runs from $25.99 to $29.99 for adults, based on peak seasons (ie: expect to pay more during Christmas week). Seniors and children receive discounts. However, you can save even more on all tickets by buying them in advance at christmasatgaylordpalms.com.

* ENTER TO WIN *

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